1 in 6 kids in Nova Scotia live in poverty: report

More than one in six children in Nova Scotia live in poverty, according to the latest report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, making it the fifth highest child poverty rate in Canada.

The most recent numbers show 17.3 per cent of children in the province still live below the poverty line. The group estimates that's about 29,000 children or approximately the population of Sydney Mines, Yarmouth, Wolfville and Pictou combined.

The Nova Scotia director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Christine Saulnier, said rates are still higher for children under six and for children who live in female lone-parent families.

She also said many families with children are not able to rise out of poverty even if a parent finds full-time work. According to the report, 40 per cent of poor children in Nova Scotia lived with at least one full-time worker in 2011.

The Centre for Policy Alternative's report recommends increasing the combined income of welfare payments and tax benefits so families can lift out of poverty. They also suggested affordable daycare.